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Former Hibees roll back years

Date published: Friday 5th June 2015 11:16

They are back at Easter Road for the first time in three years, since a 3-1 win over Australia in 2012, and for three former Hibernian players – Steven Fletcher, Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker – it’s a chance to reflect on where it all began.

Whittaker, who joined Hibs in 2000, said: “When I first came here Scott was tricky winger which may surprise a few people and he had a red mowhawk, which was a terrible decision.

“But you could see he had ability at a young age and the thing with Hibs was that if you had ability no matter what age you were they would put you in there just to see how you handled it.”

The trio were part of the Hibernian squad that won the League Cup in 2007 – when Fletcher bagged a brace in the 5-1 win over Kilmarnock – and Whittaker felt that triumph was no less than they deserved.

He said: “We had got close on a number of occasions in the seasons before. Scott and I left that summer, so to cap it all off with a winners medal before we left was great.”

The Sky Live game will be the first international since the 6-1 win over Gibraltar in March and Fletcher believes it will provide the perfect tonic ahead of the trip to Dublin.

The Sunderland striker said: “Some might need this game just to get back to sharpness leading to the game in Dublin. It’s important to play well and get the result to continue the momentum. It’s definitely a big game.”

Brown added: “Coming to the end of the group stage the game in Dublin is going to be huge and we need to get as many points as we possibly can on the board.”

Don’t miss a kick of Scotlands international match against Qatar on Friday June 5. The build-up from Easter Road starts on Sky Sports 5HD from 7.30pm